Low Pass Folly

‘The Low-Pass-Folly’ is an informal landmark that establishes a relationship between the past and present of Ypenburg and offers meeting place for the residents and visitors of this neighborhood.

The work is inspired by a maneuver performed in 1991 by four jets over the Ypenburg airport, as a farewell gesture for the occasion of this airport closing down. This last salute was at the same time the very moment at which the future of Ypenburg as a neighborhood could begin – it’s demolition was crucial to make space for the new suburban plan.

The most spectacular moment of this maneuver is when the formation is almost touching the ground, which is captured and abstracted into four architectural structures, positioned on a grass field in residential area on the exact location where the head of the airstrip once was.

Following the suburban characteristic of the architecture of this neighborhood, the accent in this proposal lay on the relation between uniformity and individuality. The four structures are identical in their basic shape, but through the application of different heights and diversity of materials, they become unique units with specific functions. The functions are determined by the wishes and needs of the residents of this area.